How to Pick Cultivars for Cooking

Wondering about which cannabis cultivars to use when you’re cooking from home? Look no further, we’ve got you covered in this blog post with our ten best varieties of cannabis for cooking just about any infused dish in the comfort of your own kitchen.

By now, most cannabis enthusiasts have read about how to cook with the plant, or at the very least have seen some of the many related cookbooks and recipes. Even if you are an inexperienced home cook, there’s no shortage of content to inspire you to learn more and get started - much of which you can find right here on HashDash!

Depending on your skill level, maybe you are still mastering the basics like decarboxylation and making your own cannabutter. Or perhaps you’re a little more advanced and have moved on to cannabis-infused coconut oil, tinctures, or cannaghee. However, an underserved area of cannabis content is: which cultivar should I use for cooking? Most experienced cannabis chefs fall into one of two categories: cultivar-specific chefs and those open to just about anything.

Cultivar-Specific Cannabis Chefs

Some of the most high-end, in-demand cannabis chefs will want to select their favorite cultivars with the best terpene profiles that they think will pair well with the meal. These chefs prepare infused meals for private dinner parties, corporate events, and even cooking shows on streaming services.

These are the cultivar-specific chefs who will tend to be pickier of which cultivars they utilize in each of the dishes they make. For instance, if there’s a citrus-based dish, it makes sense that a chef would pair that with a cultivar that has a noticeable linalool flavor in its terpene profile. There are also cultivars with bitterness like Jack Herer that pair well with savory dishes and diesel varieties like OG Kush that do the same.

Naturally, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to food, and cannabis consumption is no different. While eating a dish that contains a specific cultivar might make you feel energetic and creative, the same might make your friend feel like having a nap. This is why it’s so important to try out different consumption methods and cultivars to find out what works best for you.

Some experienced cannabis consumers and producers will tell you that the Indica/ Sativa classification system is antiquated and that the thousands of variety names don’t always match up. This is why we believe that terpene profiles and cannabinoids are the future of cannabis consumption - but this is a different article entirely.

Chefs Who Are Open to Any Cultivar

Just about any experienced chef will tell you that any cannabis variety will work when using it for cooking, as long as the buds are fresh and of respectable quality. Again, this will depend entirely on the result you’re looking for and your individual tastes. Some chefs aren’t picky about what cultivars they use, although some are specifically out - read more on this below.

Not looking for a heavy THC effect? Consider choosing a cultivar that is high-CBD for stress management, such as Charlotte’s Web, Cannatonic or Harlequin. If you’re cooking for someone else, consider how they like their herb to feel and their individual taste preferences.

Best Cultivars for Cooking: What to Look For

When it comes to getting your feet wet with choosing the best cannabis varieties for cooking, there are specific varieties that already smell and taste delicious - these tend to translate well with the extraction process. For instance, the classic blueberry variety is perfect for cooking, since its terpene profile is fruity, berry, citrusy - meaning it should probably taste delicious with your dishes. Think of it this way - if a cultivar’s terpene profile, flavonoids, and cannabinoids are to your liking, you’ll probably enjoy cooking with them, too.

And while some varieties like cheese and diesel don’t have the best aromas, they translate nicely into dishes after the decarboxylation process are relatively easy to mix into just about any dish. No matter which cultivar you arrive on, we can’t stress this enough - a little goes a long way with eating cannabis. When you decide to put on your green leaf chef hat in the kitchen, be sure to take it slowly when trying your dish!

HashDash - Educating Tomorrow's Cannabis Consumer

We hope you found value in our content on the best cultivars for cooking. We’d love to hear your input! Sound off on our social - @hashdash on all platforms, except for Instagram, where we are @hashdashdotcom.

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Thanks for reading! Happy cooking!